Increase Your Drive to Get Things Done by Boosting Testosterone (12-Point To Do List)
My brain seems to function much better on ketones instead of glucose. I no longer experience the mid-afternoon brain fog and get a second wind of mental energy late in the afternoon.
If mental clarity could be improved naturally, could the drive to get things done also be enhanced? It turns out it can, and it is by increasing testosterone.
I’ve read a bunch about this in the past couple of years. The best ones were a series from Art of Manliness and this course I bought at Udemy. Below are my notes.
I go straight to the to do list. If you want to know the science behind these (as well as the bro science… some of these probably are), read the AOM post or study the course I link to above.
In terms of importance, and the most backed by actual studies, it seems the top ones are:
- Diet
- Lift heavy
- Sleep well
- Reduce cortisol
The Udemy course says these are also healthy for women.
1. Don’t eat the following:
- Soy
- MSG
- Dairy. Milk contains lots estrogens. Unclear: cheese and butter (I still eat these)
- Licorice
- Oils high in Polyunsaturated fats (eg, canola oil)
- All kinds of mint
- Transfats
2. Eat the following:
- Beef broth, bone broth (the gelatine in it)
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Parsley
- Ginger
- Raw cacao products
- Raisins (polyphenols), Pomegranites
- Eggs
- Argan oil
- Avocados
- Macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts
- Garlics
- Onions
- Beet juice (Boron) or get a boron supplement
- White mushrooms
- Oysters
3. Lift heavy
- Heavy (85%-95% of 1 rep max) at low reps (5–8)
- Compound lifts: squats, deadlifts, bench press, olympic lifts
- Don’t hurt yourself. Do it the right way. Get a coach or something. Don’t overtrain.
4. Sleep well.
5. Reduce Cortisol (stress hormone)
- Reduce stress by meditating
- Reduce stress by redesiging your life
6. No porn, no fap.
7. Avoid endocrine disruptors
- BPA —in some water bottles, canned food, containers with polycarbonate
- Phthalates — used in some plastics
- Parabens — found in some cosmetics, shaving gels, toothpaste (check your soap and shampoo ingredients)
- Atrazine — used as a herbicide
8. Cold showers, cold exposure
9. Avoid radiation
Don’t carry your phone with your front pocket.
10. High power poses
Open poses (arms, legs)
11. Don’t use testosterone injections
12. Use low-risk supplements that *possibly* help
- Magnesium. 300mg/day for women, 400mg/day for men. Stay away from Magnesium Oxide.
- Fish Oil
- Creatine Monohydrate
- Vit D3
- Ashwaganda (Indian Ginseng)
- Comment from Aschwin Wesselius: “I’ve found to support the adrenal glands with raw adrenal glandular supplements from grass fed cows and sheep the best.” See the entire comment.
